" we were meant for - made for things that give and that mean to give glory to God." Gerard Manley Hopkins (1844 - 1889).
Romantic poets see the implication of imagination, myth, symbol and organic nature, and see it as part of the great endeavour to overcome the split between subject and object, the self and the world, the conscious and the unconscious. This is the central creed of the great Romantic poets Rene Wellek (refrece) .
The Romantic period was therefore characterised by a return to nature and feelings. Wild natural beauty and human emotions were considered more important than anything else. Hopkins was of course influenced by this, as were many writers of his time. Romantic poets were also very concerned with the world around them and the people in it. Most of the Romantic poets, or poets influenced by Romanticism, lodged a sort of social protest within their poetry. One such poet that immediately springs to mind is William Blake who seemed to take a particular dislike to the abuse of children.
This is also something that I find extremely interesting because the ideas of Romanticism were often in direct conflict with the Church. Hopkins became a Jesuit priest and a parish preacher and he burned all his poetry up to this point. It was only until four years later, after studying the writings of Duns Scotus a Medieval thinker, that he started writing poetry again. (rfeence) .
It is therefore clear that Hopkins suffered a momentary ideological conflict where he was caught between two worlds being able to exist only in one of them. Thankfully this was to pass and he did write poetry again.
Hopkins" poem "God's Grandeur" is influenced by Romantic views of nature and the city, yet also marks a departure from, or a questioning, of theses views. The most obvious departure and questioning of these views would be his indictment of mans" systematic destruction of earth because of their inherent greed.
